Did Clare Crawley Know Dale Moss Before Filming ‘The Bachelorette?’

SPOILER ALERT: Stop reading if you do not want to see potential spoilers for season 16 of The Bachelorette. On the season 16 premiere of The Bachelorette, lead Clare Crawley whispers to herself, “I knew it” after meeting suitor Dale Moss for what viewers believed was the first time. This exclamation came amid reports that Crawley quit the show to pursue a relationship with Moss and they are now engaged.

To some fans, this moment fueled a growing theory she previously spoke with Moss before filming the season. However, Crawley made a point during the premiere to say she only spoke with Blake Moynes while quarantining.

Crawley Praised Moynes for Reaching out During the Pandemic

When Crawley spoke with Moynes, she told him he was the only one of her men to reach out during the production delays that came as a result of COVID-19 after sharing on social media that she was having a hard day with her mom in the hospital.

“Over quarantine, it was really hard for me and you were the only guy that reached out to me,” she told Moynes, before telling him he broke the rules.

Rather than being angry that he broke the rules, she told Us Weekly that it warmed her heart. “The reason he did it was for my mom and I would never in a million years be mad at anybody who had that as their core reason for reaching out,” she said during the interview.

Crawley Admits to Researching Her Suitors

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When Crawley appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, she admitted to Jimmy Kimmel that she did look up the men cast for her season.

“I googled all the men that were going to be on the season, took lots of notes,” she told Kimmel. She said, “I think the whole world, or who was anybody involved in Bachelor Nation, spied on these guys.”

Moss was among those men announced before season 16 of The Bachelorette’s production for COVID-19. She admitted to liking what she saw while looking Moss up, saying, “He was one of the guys that was on, cast for earlier in the season when it was supposed to air earlier and being able to look him up, there were just a lot of good things that aligned with what I’m looking for that he kind of embodied.”

Some are Skeptical Crawley Is Telling the Truth About Previous Contact With Moss

Former Bachelor, Nick Viall, said on The Viall Files episode breaking down the premiere that it often is, “the most simplest explanation is probably true.”

“The conspiracy theorist in me thinks that Clare is smart enough to [say] you’re the only one, but also, I like that. I like that you did that, I’m going to tell America that it’s okay that you did that it’s okay to break the rules when it comes to love,” said Viall, noting a level of comfort between Crawley and

“There just seemed to be a level of comfort between the two,” Viall noted.

Despite these suspicions, Reality Steve insists Crawley and Moss did not previously speak, writing, “Reports are they were talking were at first debunked by Michelle Money, and then confirmed by me.”

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